Pax Got A Strike!

WOW...is all I can say for Pax! We went bowling yesterday for the very first time, and he LOVED it!  I went with great hesitance, because when you think of bowling alleys, you think LOUD noises, LOUD people, strange place....but he took it all in stride and participated with a smile! As you see in the picture above, he got to use a special ramp to just roll the ball down, so he did it all by himself and it made him feel accomplished. When he got a strike, I cheered and he laughed....he was so proud of himself, after that, he couldn't get enough.  So the bowling alley is a HUGE check off the list!  And as you can see from the pic below, a BIG excited hug for Mommy is all I could ever ask for :)

And then Dunkin Donuts......

OK, so....taking Pax out to eat has always been a challenge of sorts...the sitting...the waiting...etc....well, he took a big step this past Friday!  After his swim class on Fridays, I always treat him to a donut or munchkins from Dunkin Donuts.  It went from going thru the drivethru and him just saying the word "donut", which was also a big step for him, to actually going in the place and him pointing to which donut he wants.  This time, with my daughter also,  I ventured to see if he would go in, sit and eat.  As you can see from the pic, it was a success! It probably helped that no one was in there eating except for us, but none the less, a HUGE step for Pax! It may be baby steps to some, but to us, they are VERY BIG baby steps :)

Paxon Update

Halloween 2014- Bug Catcher

So, I haven't written in quite a while....I guess the time got away with me.  But I did want to write about Paxon's progress thus far.  He is doing excellent! School has really been helping him and working with him here from home as well.  He has said a few words, including "Mama"..which as a mother, is the best thing you ever want to hear.  He has also said his first sentence..he said "Mom Mom Bubbles Soon".  My mother plays bubbles with him before his bath, so he would ask to do bubbles..and we would always say..soon Paxon.  So out of the blue one day he said, "Mom Mom bubbles soon"....you can imagine my excitement and inability to contain myself. Paxon went from a boy at the age of 2, diagnosed with moderate autism...not saying a word...not communicating...wouldn't look you in the eye...wouldn't look to the sound of his name....to a boy who is talking, saying what he wants, showing you what he wants..listening..socializing...enjoying life as a child should.  Early diagnosis was the best thing we could of ever done for Paxon.  He has blossomed and matured so much and I wanted to tell every parent out there whose child was diagnosed; there is hope.  I hear stories all the time of nonverbal children talking, singing, communicating when they were told they never would.  I am proof that hope is something I always  had and always will hold on to.  With persistence and resources, wonderful things can happen.

Meeting the Educator and Speech Therapist

Today I met with the speech therapist who was very uplifting.  She will focus on Paxon's verbal and communication skills.  We will try different methods to achieve this.  We will be putting sounds with our everyday routines, such as unzippering an item, we make a zzzzziiiiiippppp sound as we are doing it.  When we bounce a ball, we say BOUNCE, BOUNCE, BOUNCE, as the ball is bouncing.  We are also going to work on his eating habits, maybe introducing new foods and how to do it.  We have maybe discovered in doing so, that his snack table is the best place to place new foods there and see what he does.  When in the highchair, Paxon just throws food on the floor when he is not familiar with it, versus on his snack table, he will leave it there, but come back to it maybe trying it.  We will introduce some sign language and pictures to identify certain objects.  All of this will have meaning and a purpose with his therapy, us as parents are learning as well, and will have to follow through and be consistant in all methods.  Since we now have a feel for what we need to do, we will begin our therapy and hopefully make progress as the weeks roll by.  Until next time...........

First In-House Evaluation and Family Plan 5/22

Paxon had his first in-house evaluation yesterday, and we had our family plan discussed on how to move forward.  We had a teacher, speech pathologist and our early intervention contact person come and give Paxon an evaluation similar to the one he had a CHOP.  They brought toys and played with him to see what he could and could not do.  Since he was already diagnosed for Autism, this was a step to make sure that all of his care will be properly funded.  They have set up a plan for us, his family, to help teach him and reach our goals we would like for Paxon.  Goals such as being able to communicate with us in a way we can understand.  Something as simple as pointing a finger at an object to let us know he wants it, or playing with a specific toy for the purpose it was made.  We will be taking "baby steps" and taking it one day at a time, but we will do whatever it takes.  His first therapy session will take place within the next 2 weeks, a teacher and speech therapist will be here at the house once weekly.  I will post his progress with that session...until then.....

Hearing Test 5/17

Well, Paxon passed his hearing test with flying colors!  At least we know his hearing is not an issue for the speech delay he has.  We are very anxious for next week's first in-house therapy session.  We will at least know what to expect and what we need to do to help Paxon progress.  He has actually done some things that he hasn't done before.  For instance, when he wants water in his cup, he now BRINGS the cup to you and hands it to you to fill it up!  WOW, he never did that and has done it repeatedly for the past week.  We are very happy that he is taking some steps that are positive :)  I will post about the Tuesday session when completed.  Until then.

First Therapy Coordinator Meeting 5/3

The meeting went well with our therapy coordinator yesterday, she was very helpful and gave us A LOT of information.  Paxon will have a hearing test on May 17th and his first in-home meeting with the teachers as well as a speech therapist is May 22nd.  They will come to the house and do an evaluation and decide how many times a week they will come.  The usual is once a week, but they will be teaching us also to work with him throughout the week, this is a learning experience for us as well.  We will be taught exercises and things to do with Paxon to ensure he is getting therapy around the clock every day. We have taken the first step and will continue to make sure Paxon will have all the help he needs and that this journey will be a good one!